


Only Love

by amyfortuna



Series: Only Light, Only Life, Only Love [10]
Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-05-01
Updated: 2001-05-01
Packaged: 2017-10-05 14:23:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyfortuna/pseuds/amyfortuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A revelation. A remnant. A reward.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Only Love

The Guran Swamp appeared empty as they landed the ship and disboarded. Leia, despite the warnings to be careful, insisted on being the first  
to leave the ship, knowing that her mother would come forward to greet her.

The Jedi watched from inside as a woman in a handmaiden's dress walked out into the open alone and embraced Leia. They exchanged a few words,  
then Leia turned and waved at the Jedi to approach.

Anakin led the way, and the meeting of Amidala and Anakin was a simple, easy, thing, far unlike they both had worried about in the nights  
intervening. Just a greeting, then Anakin was introducing Luke, Han, and Bruck. Xanatos Amidala already knew, of course.

Lando and Chewbacca stayed behind in the background, finally coming forward when Anakin began to introduce them as well.

"We'd better be leaving before they track us down," Lando said. "We'll be on the other side of the galaxy next week, and then they can whistle  
for me. I can outrace them."

Han laughed. "Should you ever want to sell that beauty of a ship," he said, "I'll put my bid in." He turned to Chewbacca and said something  
in Wookie. Those who understood the language laughed, while Luke looked mystified.

"What did you tell him?" Luke whispered to Han a few minutes later, after the Falcon was just a dot in the sky.

"Nothing." Han looked innocent. Then he put an arm around Luke's waist. "Told him I wouldn't trade partners, but might be up for a threesome."

"Ack!" Luke choked, giggling. Han pulled his lover into an embrace, ruffling his hair cheerfully.

"Doncha worry, kid," he said. "I prefer my lovers less hairy."

"More of that 'kid' stuff, and you're not getting any tonight," Luke protested.

Everyone laughed at that, and the ice was completely broken.

* * *

Deep in the swamp was a small clearing, and in that clearing, partly underground, was a small home, just large enough for the six of them. Leia, since she was known to be on the Falcon, was also encouraged to stay with the Jedi. Amidala, of course, had to return to the palace. Her entourage followed behind her, staying out of sight, but protecting her, as they walked to the house and then again as she left shortly afterward, promising to come visit as often as she could.

Of course, everyone, except Xanatos and Leia, had practically nothing resembling luggage with them. Luckily the house was set up for just that kind of emergency and held many different sizes of clothing, along with stores of food to last for years, if need be. The Jedi, even Han and Luke, had their lightsabers, for Bruck had seized theirs out of the hands of those who kept the sabers of the accused.

There were three bedrooms in the small house, and initially they discussed giving Leia her own room, but she insisted that it was not fair to do that, since the rooms were not meant to hold more than two people. So Han and Luke got a room, Xanatos and Anakin got another, and Bruck and Leia were left with the last one.

Bruck did not protest, for Leia was pleasant enough, though secretly he wished he and Xanatos could have shared. His love for his former master, hidden deep all these years, was blossoming inside his heart like a flower, and every day saw it become more lovely.

Several days went by as they slowly settled into a routine. It seemed that Han had taken over most of Luke's remaining training, supplemented by Anakin, Xanatos, and Bruck as they felt the need. Leia herself watched the training sessions, with interest, and one day began to participate in the meditations, unknown to the others.

The men felt a warm presence flow in amongst them as they knelt in meditation early that morning. The presence was not trained very well, but was strong.

It was Luke who figured it out first. "Leia," he whispered, not looking up from the meditation.

"Yes," Anakin confirmed. "She must have the Force as well as you or I, even though she has never been trained."

"She must be trained," Xanatos said, looking up.

"Damn those age rules anyway," Bruck said, glancing at Xanatos. "We're rebuilding the Jedi Order here."

They all laughed, and called her to come to them.

So it was arranged, quite simply. Xanatos and Bruck would bear most of the burden of training Leia, but everyone would participate as they could. Even Luke would be able to teach her a few things.

Leia had been all too intrigued by the ways of the Jedi, and was delighted to find that the Force was strong enough in her to make it worth training her.

And the days and years went by, happy, peaceful. They were hardly aware of the galaxy outside, or the terrors that were happening to the remainder of the Jedi Order.

Until one day brought it all crashing down on them.

* * *

A slight figure came flying across the fields to the secret hideout of the Jedi in the afternoon of a Naboo summer day. It was, as Anakin, who was officially unofficially on duty as watcher at the moment determined, Rabe, one of the Queen's most trusted handmaidens.

"He knows!" Rabe exclaimed as soon as she caught sight of Anakin. "He knows about you!"

Quickly everyone gathered together in the main room of the little house.

"What does he know?" Leia asked. "And by 'he,' I assume you mean Palpatine?"

Rabe took a moment to get her breath. "He knows that Anakin is here," she said, gesturing to the Jedi in question. "I don't think he knows about anyone else," she went on.

"Well," Anakin said. "It's clear what must be done. I will go and *not* give myself up. Palpatine must be confronted."

"I came to that conclusion some time ago," Leia said. "He killed Bail Organa because Bail knew he was the Sith. He's been destroying the Jedi and building himself an army. He needs to be done away with."

"I'll go with you," Han volunteered.

"And me," Xanatos said.

"No," Anakin said. "I'll go alone. This is my destiny."

"We'll see you again, Father," Luke said. "It's not your time to die."

And as Luke tended to be fairly decent at predicting the future once in a while, everyone took that as a good sign.

"Come with me," Rabe said.

Anakin smiled at them all and hurried off.

* * *

Anakin was taken, unbound, to the center of the throne room, where Palpatine sat on the Queen's throne. No one else could be seen in the room.

"Jedi," Palpatine spat, the Dark Side curving almost visible around him. "You've escaped me for too long. While you were gone, I've managed to destroy every other member of your precious Order. Now it's your turn."

He paused. Anakin only stared, silent.

"Unless, perhaps, you chose to throw in your lot with me. I have a lot to teach you."

Anakin laughed. "Don't be silly, Palpatine. The balance of power in this room does not rest in you."

Palpatine stood up angrily and instantly Anakin was shoved back to the wall by bolts of blue lightning.

"Give in to your hate and fear," Palpatine urged, as Anakin fell back under the onslaught of the blue lightning. "Let me show you truly how to use your power."

Anakin sobbed harshly against both the power of the Force-command and the pain of the electric bolts streaking around and through him.

"I will never turn to you," he gasped through his teeth.

"Then you will die!" Palpatine mocked, and the lightning bolts increased in their urgency. Glancing up, Anakin saw the dark eyes of Amidala across the room, watching this dreadful scene, powerless to help. And the sight of her gave him hope.

"I cannot conquer hate with hate, or fear with fear," he whispered. "The true conqueror is love."

Love.

Anakin focused in on love.

First, the love he held for the Master and Apprentice, the Jedi lovers, who had saved him from slavery all those years ago. Their eyes shone so  
bright in his mind, urging him to be strong. Then, he thought of the love he bore for his Master, for his friend Bruck, his love for Han, his Padawan, for his son Luke and daughter Leia.

And most of all, for the woman he had held only once, for the queen of Naboo -- his eyes met hers through the pain. In a sudden rush of emotion, he cast all the love in his heart toward her.

A blue nimbus of power welled up in Anakin, and suddenly he felt able to do anything, be anything. Arched over his head was a shield of strength, impossible for Palpatine to break.

Palpatine let out a howl of frustration and turned to the woman standing in the shadows, fingers stretched out to wield killing fire. Anakin did not even stop to think.

Letting go of the hold on the mental shield, he sprang toward Amidala, guarding her with his body. Before the power of the shield intervened, Anakin's hands had been caught in a sudden blue flame. He gasped in pain, and Force-pushed against the air, not thinking, just reacting.

Palpatine went sliding back across the slick floor, into the windows, still spewing out blue lightning. There was a scream of anguish, then the windows cracked, broke into millions of pieces -- and Palpatine's body went flying out of them. Anakin slumped to the floor, hands against the cool tile, the flame gone as suddenly as it had appeared.

A distant explosion was heard, faintly, over the roar of the waterfall.

In a flash of relief, he found that he could breathe again.

"What has happened?" he gasped, endeavoring to rise. His bones felt like water, but eventually he got to his feet.

"I do not know," Amidala said, coming up to him and taking his arm. "I only know that somehow you have defeated the Sith."

They regarded each other in silence for several long moments.

"You're burned, Anakin," she said at last, taking his hands into hers gently.

"Yes, I know," Anakin said and, smiling, quoted the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi. "But 'anything for you.'"

"At last," Amidala said then, "I may now tell you what I could not that night so long ago, nor yet when I met you again."

"And what is that?" Anakin asked.

"That I love you," Amidala whispered, taking him into her arms.

Anakin laughed from pure joy and bent to her, finally able to surrender to his own love.

A kiss became the conclusion to the conversation, and to the story.


End file.
